Food allergy: Basics and Beyond

Food allergies are a growing food safety and public health concern. They affect 4%–6% of children and up to 4 % of adults in the United States. Food allergy symptoms are most common in babies and children, but they can appear at any age. Though less common; one can develop an allergy to foods eaten for years without a problem.

Allergies: Prevention is the Best Medicine

Before discussing allergies, we should first understand what the word “allergy” means. Allergy is basically a mistake of the immune system, where the body is trying to defend itself against a harmless substance. So, instead of the body normally ignoring a cat dander particle, an immune response is set up to fight it off as if it were an infectious organism. In this example, chronic exposure to cat dander leads to a cold-type syndrome that never seems to go away.

Winter Asthma and Allergies

Pollen allergy sufferers may experience relief during winter months as most outdoor allergens disappear until spring. But our South Florida winters are mild and brief with tree pollination starting in February and people with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever) sensitive to tree pollen may experience bothersome episodes of recurrent sneezing and runny nose early in the year.

SUMMER ALLERGIES: Keep your Summer Safe and Fun

Summer means fun – school vacation and long lazy days filled with outdoor family outings, cookouts and adventure. Here in South Florida it likely includes days of sunny sandy beaches, sunscreens, pollens and insects. If you have allergies, take these simple precautions and make them part of your summer routine. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

What is an Allergy?

An allergy is a peculiar reaction to a substance than is not harmful to normal, non-allergic people. “Allergy,” however, is an often misunderstood term. Most people believe that an allergy refers to any uncomfortable reaction to a substance that is inhaled, eaten, or that touches the skin. Symptoms that are attributed to allergy include sneezing, wheezing, nasal irritation, cough, runny and/or stuffy nose, heartburn, bloating, diarrhea, and a variety of skin rashes.

New Asthma Drug Nucala (Mepolizumab) for Severe Eosinophilic Asthma

I was going to write a blog entry about this exciting new asthma drug that should be available for use very soon. But then, Dr. Alan Khadavi, an Allergy/Immunology Specialist from Los Angeles beat me to it. So, as I always say, “Don’t reinvent the wheel.”

Extreme Reversal – Research Now Suggests Early introduction of Peanuts to Infants May Prevent Food Allergy

This story reminds me of the movie, “Sleeper.” The Woody Allen movie from the 70s focuses on a man who was put into a cryogenic freeze when he died after a simple operation in a New York hospital. He woke up 200 years later and found that the world was very different. He was surprised that everyone was smoking cigarettes. This future scientists told him that research had determined that tobacco was extremely healthy for the lungs.

Subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT), or “allergy shot therapy,” has been around since the early 1900s. It is considered a well-accepted therapy for allergic rhinitis and asthma. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has garnered a great deal of attention lately since two sublingual tablet formulations to treat grass allergy were reviewed by an FDA advisory committee.

Protecting food allergic kids in school

Here’s an article about food allergies from the Palm Beach Post – with a couple of quotes from me. Dr. Gershman New laws aim to save schoolchildren from deadly allergic reactions By Stacey Singer – Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Waffles. That’s what sent 8-year-old Emma Serle to the emergency room. Allergic to five different foods, …

Think you have hay fever? Allergist at South Florida’s “The Allergy Group” Explains

Processed food isn’t great for babies – No kidding

Here is some unexpected news… fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you. It turns out that babies who ate more fruits and vegetables , and less processed foods, seemed to have less problems with food allergy.
http://www.preparedfoods.com/articles/113039-children-and-food-allergies

Dr. Neil Gershman has been elected to be the President of the Florida Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Society!

We are very proud to announce that Dr. Neil Gershman has been elected to be the President of the Florida Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Society!

Dr. Neil Gershman is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Medicine. He did his Internal Medicine training at Montefiore Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his Allergy/Immunology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Gershman’s Asthma Inhaler Demonstration Video

Even though I am no videographer, I think you will get a lot out of watching this video. Just a couple of disclaimers: 1. Watching this video should not take the place of the care and advice of your physician or pharmacist 2. This is some disagreement on the “proper” use of inhalers.